The competition
The Oppo Reno15 seems like a well-balanced phone, borderline flagship, yet aimed at the masses. We liked its design and build; it posted solid scores across all of our tests, and its camera department exceeded our expectations.
But Reno15’s launch price is far from competitive – it’s quite the opposite. The 8GB+512GB model is available for €600-€650 in Europe, while the 256GB version is only available in Asia, and it costs INR 46,000 (around €430) in India.
Looking at some EU alternatives, the first one the comes to mind is Xiaomi’s 15T Pro. You can get the 12GB+512GB model at the same price as the Reno15, and yet Xiaomi’s phone brings a more premium display, flagship-level chipset, and great rear-facing cameras. The Reno15 beats the Mi phone with arguably better looks, a more friendly size, and most importantly, far better selfie kit.
Motorola’s Edge 60 Pro is one of the best deals right now, and we strongly suggest considering it. The phone is incredibly thin and lightweight. It has a larger OLED, a more powerful Dimensity 8350 Extreme chip, and offers similar camera experience. The Edge 60 Pro is priced at about €450 or INR 31,000, making its case a no-brainer.
If you are after Elite gaming, then there is a Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5-featuring phone priced close enough (€749) to the Reno15 and that’s the Poco F8 Ultra. Its selfie camera is rather average, but the rear-facing kit turned out as great as Reno15’s. Add the maximum oomph, the premium screen, and the better battery life, and the extra €100 make the whole thing worth considering.
The OnePlus 15R costs exactly as much as the Reno15 in Europe and India. It does not impress with cameras, there is no telephoto even, but it boasts the Snapdragon 8 Gen 5 chip and offers impressive battery life.
Finally, the €799 Reno15 Pro (mini) is a compact flagship phone with top-notch screen, cameras, performance, battery life, and design, of course. It is one of our favorites this season and if it falls in your budget, please do consider it.
Xiaomi 15T Pro • Motorola Edge 60 Pro • Xiaomi Poco F8 Ultra • OnePlus 15R • Oppo Reno15 Pro
Our verdict
The Oppo Reno15 has a design to impress, and it’s got a size that makes it more easily pocketable than usual. It is a well-built device with an excellent HDR OLED screen and decent performance, too.
The Reno15 offers good battery life, plenty fast charging, and fairly good speakers.
But what we really loved is the camera quality – main, ultrawide, zoom, and selfie – all four cameras capture great photos for the class.
The video quality turned out to be average, and that’s probably the only letdown we experienced during this review.
The Oppo Reno15 is easy to recommend for its well-rounded package and good performance across the board. It would have been even more likable if it were cheaper and/or with wider availability. If you can find one with a rebate, it well deserves our recommendation.
Pros
Unique-looking design.
Good OLED screen, HDR10+.
Very good battery life, relatively fast to charge.
Adequate chipset performance.
Superb photos from all four cameras, class-leading selfies.
ColorOS is fast and fluid.
Cons
Faster phones at similar prices are available.
Uninspiring video quality.